California 86, Washington 71. Saw most of this game – great win for the Bears to keep a recently-wobbly shop afloat. What struck us was how terrible UW’s defense was in this game – Cal nailed open shot after open shot in the second half and hit 52% for the game – we counted at least twelve possessions in a row where the Bears scored on their second-half run to put the game away. Washington has a nice collection of talent, but Jon Brockman (4/15) didn’t show up on the offensive end tonight, and they really need him to be productive to become a good team.

Arizona St. 66, Oregon 57. It would be difficult for us to fathom, but could Oregon be this year’s Oregon St. and go 0-18 in the Pac-10? The Ducks sit at 0-10 after tonight, and unless they can nip Arizona, Stanford, Cal or OSU at home, they might just join their state rival in ignominy. James Harden came back from a 15-pt game last outing with a 36-pt explosion. ASU, for the fifth time in conference play this season, had only two players in double figures. This will be a serious problem for the Sun Devils in March.

Some Other Games on Your Thursday Night.

Gonzaga 93, Portland 78. With this road win, the Zags are well on their way to another conference regular season title. Gonzaga now owns a two game lead over Portland and St. Mary’s, with tiebreakers over both. All five starters hit double figures tonight.

Butler 66, Detroit 61. Butler withstood a late Detroit rally behind Gordon Hayward’s 22 pts, including a late three (4-4 on the night) that gave the Bulldogs just enough breathing room to hang on.

Arizona 56, Oregon St. 53. OSU nearly got itself another win tonight, but Roeland Shaftenaar’s three to tie it at the buzzer rolled around the rim and came out. Still, it’s safe to say that this Craig Robinson guy can coach a little, eh?

Wisconsin 63, Illinois 50. UW broke its six-game losing streak against an Illini team that shot only 33% from the field tonight. The Badgers’ Jason Bohannon had 20/6 on 6-7 from three.

Utah St. 78, New Mexico St. 59. USU moved to 10-0 in the WAC with another easy win behing Gary Wilkinson’s 18/11. NMSU’s Terrance Joyner did not play due to his arrest for carrying joints in his luggage at the airport. Brilliant.